Agenda item

(To receive a report which invites the Committee to consider a report on the SEND Transport Procurement Review which is due to be considered by the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health Services, Children's Services on 1 December 2015)

The Committee received a report which invited members to consider a report on the SEND Transport Procurement review which was due to be considered by the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health Services, Children's Services on 1 December 2015.

It was reported that a cross-departmental project Team was established in May 2015 to consider the procurement options for transport for Children with special educational needs and disabilities to special educational schools, PRU's and Pilgrim Hospital (SEND transport), in order to improve market sustainability, create greater efficiency and potentially to deliver financial savings.  The report would recommend a new procurement model for implementation in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Members were advised that SEND was currently delivered through a large number of single vehicle contracts, and it was felt that efficiencies could be made.  However, Lincolnshire did compare very well across other local authorities in terms of benchmarking.

The Headteacher of St Francis School attended the meeting to provide a school's perspective on the proposals. She welcomed the proposals and highlighted that it would provide greater stability and consistency for schools.  It was also noted that it would provide an opportunity to build up relationships with providers.  The long lead in time would allow plenty of time for discussions, provide training and for parents to gain confidence in the new service.  

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         The need to assess the impact of every change of policy on child poverty was queried.  Members were advised that access to education was seen as a means of lifting someone out of poverty;

• The Committee raised concerns around the transport of children who were not able to travel with other pupils and queried how that would work in future. It was reported that the individual needs of a child would still be considered and different arrangements would be put in place as required. It was clarified that it would be based on the Council's assessment of a child's needs in relation to transport and not that of the child, the parents or the relevant school. There would still be the safeguards and guidelines in place to try to ensure that no child was subject to a stressful journey.
• A number of concerns were raised about the costs of the transport and why they varied so much for taxis. It was highlighted that there was an issue with the costs of short journeys as some taxi firms added on a premium for shorter journeys. Officers reported that this was an issue they wanted to address as part of the new model for one provider/one school.
• It was noted that a using pick up and drop off points would not be practical, and the home to school transport model would be maintained;
• It was reported that children attending mainstream schools had been excluded from this review, and it was purely focused on those children with SEND.
• Concerns were raised about using providers from outside the county and where the provider was licensed, as if they were not licensed in Lincolnshire and there was a need to take action against them, it would go back to the licensing authority they were registered with. Officers reported that there were some providers based out of county that would be more attracted by the Council being able to offer larger volume work, and that they would therefore look to create a base in Lincolnshire. It was also reported that a full audit of the provider would be undertaken before they would be allowed onto the approved operator list and it would also be a requirement for the operator to be licensed in Lincolnshire. 
• It was hoped that new providers would be attracted into the Lincolnshire market.
• A concern was raised about passenger assistants or drivers administrating medication to children. It was noted that there were existing contracts where medication had to be administered daily and/or in cases of emergencies, such as treating epilepsy or providing oxygen. Training was provided to the operators and there would be a medical administration travel plan which was clear about the dosage required, which would have been signed off by a NHS nurse and parents.  In these circumstances, the providers worked closely with nurse practitioners and driver and passenger assistants would receive the necessary certification.  A full risk assessment would be carried out for each case;
• Concerns were raised about the distances that some children travelled and that for some children the journey times might become longer, particularly those using minibuses due to picking other pupils up en route. It was noted that there were guidelines around what constitutes a stressful journey and the journey lengths. The guidelines stated a maximum 45 minute journey for primary pupils, and for secondary pupils this was one hour and 15 minutes. However, there is no such guidance for SEND pupils. Officers highlighted that the long lead in times, which were 9 months for the first tranche and 6 months for the second tranche, would allow checks to be undertaken to try to ensure that journey lengths were reasonable before the service starts. It was reported that the use of minibuses was an issue but officers did not feel that they would always provide the best approach going forward as it will depend on the passengers' needs. Officers highlighted that they wanted to address these issues and hoped it would be easier to do so with less contracts and providers.
• It was questioned whether an in house approach was also being looked at. It was noted that a costed analysis for an in house fleet was being undertaken as part of the total transport initiative which was happening at the same time as this review. However, it was prudent to know what the outcomes of the procurement were as this would inform the business case for an in house fleet and what scale was required.
• It was reported that providers would receive safeguarding training to bring them up to a new minimum standard, along with how to use any equipment required, dealing with challenging behaviour and providing first aid;
• A lot of time had been spent analysing risk, and officers had tried to mitigate as many as possible, and the long lead in time was one of the best ways to mitigate the risks;
• It was commented that bigger providers would have bigger vehicles and savings through economies of scale could be seen;
• It was commented that complaints had been received from parents that their child had not been on the transport for long enough, when the route had been shortened.  This was likely due to the transport provision being seen as a respite for the parent;
• It was queried whether the impact of increasing fuel prices would be factored into the contracts. Officers reported that there would be indices around fuel and minimum wage built into the pricing so that it would not be included in the tender.
• It was questioned what the main risks were with the new service. Officers highlighted that there were two key risks at the current time, which were the providers' response to the procurement exercise, and the parents' response and how they engage with the new service. Continued engagement with providers and parents would be required. It was noted that the transition period would help with mitigating these risks.
• Concerns were raised regarding the use of mini buses, however members were advised that officers did not consider wide spread use of mini-buses to be the most suitable option for the new model;
• The Committee raised concerns about the procurement of the new service, in particular around the risk that it could be more costly and not provide any savings. Officers reported that there was no minimum saving level but the maximum saving it could be was approximately £1M. It was highlighted that there was a risk that it could be more expensive but there was no requirement to award the contract, which provided a safety net.
• A longer notice period would be built into contracts as a way to build responsibilities and ownership on both sides;
• It would be important that the due diligence was carried out at the pre-qualification stage to ensure that the providers were capable of carrying out the contract, as these contract would not be suitable for all;
• In summary, the Committee highlighted its concerns regarding the potential effect on individual children particularly around increased journey lengths causing stressful journeys and that the main fundamental issue was that the children should not be significantly worse off as a result of the new service.

RESOLVED

1.    That following consideration of the report, the Committee supports the recommendations to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health Services, Children's Services as set out in the report.

2.    That a summary of the points raised be passed to the Executive Councillor for Adult Care and Health Services, Children's Services in relation to this item.